Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Light modifier
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-23
2001-12-11
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Light modifier
C362S211000, C362S543000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328463
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile headlamp such as dual-lamp halogen headlamp, that provides a predetermined low beam light distribution pattern and a high beam light distribution pattern by means of control of all-surface reflection light distribution of the reflecting surface, and particularly to an automobile headlamp that makes it possible to utilize near 100% of light incident on the reflecting surface of a reflector and to obtain good low beam light distribution pattern and high beam light distribution pattern.
The word “ahead” used in this specification refers to the direction in which the automobile moves, that is the forward direction in view of the driver. Letter “L” used in the accompanying drawings indicates the left-hand side in view of the driver looking ahead, and letter “R” used in the accompanying drawings indicates the right-hand side in view of the driver looking ahead. Letter “U” used in the accompanying drawings indicates the upper side in view of the driver looking ahead, and letter “D” used in the accompanying drawings indicates the lower-hand side in view of the driver looking ahead. Letters “HL-HR” used in the accompanying drawings indicate a horizontal line (or a horizontal axis) viewed by the driver looking ahead, and letters “HR-HL” used in the accompanying drawing indicate a horizontal line (or a horizontal axis) when viewing the automobile (or the surface that includes headlamps) from the front side (the so-called front view or plan view), and letters “VU-VD” indicate the vertical line (or a vertical axis).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automobile headlamps of this type, namely automobile headlamps that make it possible to obtain a predetermined low beam light distribution pattern and high beam light distribution pattern by means of control of all-surface reflection light distribution of the reflecting surface include, for example, one that is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 8-329703.
This automobile headlamp will be described below with reference to FIG.
15
through FIG.
24
. Further, the automobile headlamp shown in the drawings is to be mounted on the left side (left-hand side in view of the driver facing ahead) of an automobile in keep-right traffic. In the case of an automobile headlamp mounted on an automobile in keep-left traffic, the automobile headlamp, a reflecting surface
40
, a high beam filament
52
and other devices are disposed in a reverse arrangement to that shown with regard to right and left. Further, the automobile headlamp to be mounted on the right side of the automobile has a lamp housing
1
, a lens
2
and a reflector
4
of substantially symmetrical configuration as those of the automobile headlamp shown, without any change in the arrangement of the reflecting surface
40
, the high beam filament
52
and other devices.
The automobile headlamp has a light room
3
formed by the lamp housing
1
and the lens (outer lens)
2
. Disposed in the light room
3
is a reflector
4
, which is separate from the lamp housing
1
, to be capable of swinging in the vertical and horizontal directions by means of a pivot mechanism (not shown) and an optical axis adjusting device (not shown). The reflector
4
has the reflecting surface
40
formed from a complex reflecting surface. The reflecting surface
40
, namely the complex reflecting surface, comprises a plurality of reflecting surface segments (not shown) divided vertically and horizontally, and is called the free curved surface. The free curved surface may be, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 9-306220, for example, one divided into a multitude of blocks, one divided into a small number of blocks, or one comprising a plurality of blocks continuously connected (joints between the blocks not being visible).
Although the complex reflecting surface does not have a single focal point in the exact sense of the word, there are only negligible differences between the focal lengths of the plurality of revolving paraboloid surfaces that form the complex reflecting surface. Thus because the plurality of revolving paraboloid surfaces share substantially the same focus, the focal point F shown in the drawing that is a pseudo-focus in the true meaning will be called the focal point in this specification. Similarly, the optical axis Z—Z shown in the drawing that is a pseudo-optical axis in the true meaning will be called the optical axis in this specification.
The reflector
4
described above has a light source bulb
5
mounted thereon detachably. The light source bulb
5
is a light source bulb without a shading hood, and has a low beam (beam for passing oncoming vehicle) filament
51
and a high beam (beam for running without oncoming vehicle) filament
52
disposed in the glass bulb
50
. Also the glass bulb
50
has a coating
54
(for blocking the light from the low beam filament
51
and from the high beam filament
52
from directly entering the lens
2
) of black paint, for example, provided at the tip thereof.
The low beam filament
51
described above has a substantially cylindrical shape, disposed substantially in parallel with the optical axis Z—Z at a position ahead of the focal point F. The high beam filament
52
also has a substantially cylindrical shape, disposed substantially in parallel with the optical axis Z—Z at a position near the focal point F and obliquely below the low beam filament (lower right-hand side in the case of keep-right traffic, lower left-hand side in the case of keep-left traffic), or right below thereof.
In the drawings, reference numeral
6
denotes a shade. The shade
6
is secured onto the reflector
4
and covers the light source bulb
5
at the front thereof, for the purpose of blocking the light from the low beam filament
51
and from the high beam filament
52
from directly entering an ineffective portion (a portion that does not directly contribute to the light distribution of the headlamp)
42
of the reflector
4
and the lens
2
. Reference numeral
60
denotes a rubber cap. The rubber cap
60
is fitted detachably between a base of the light source bulb
5
and a rear opening of the lamp housing
1
by means of a fitting cap
61
, thereby to keep the inside of the light room
3
water-tight.
When the low beam filament
51
of the automobile headlamp described above is turned on, light from the low beam filament
51
is reflected on the entire surface of the reflecting surface
40
, and the reflected light is radiated through the lens
2
to the outside in a predetermined low beam light distribution pattern LP as shown in FIG.
18
. On the other hand, when the high beam filament
52
is turned on, light from the high beam filament
52
is reflected on the entire surface of the reflecting surface
40
, and the reflected light is radiated through the lens
2
to the outside in a predetermined high beam light distribution pattern HP as shown in FIG.
19
.
In this way, the predetermined low beam light distribution pattern LP and the predetermined high beam light distribution pattern HP are formed by the control of all-surface reflection light distribution of the reflecting surface
40
.
The predetermined low beam light distribution pattern LP and the predetermined high beam light distribution pattern HP described above refer to light distribution patterns in conformity with the European Light Distribution Standard ECEReg. or an equivalent regulation (for example, model recognition standard for vehicles sold in Japan), North American Light Distribution Standard FMVSS, etc.
The low beam light distribution pattern LP described above is made to comply with light distribution standard so that dazzling light is restricted. As a result, the low beam light distribution pattern LP described above has such a beam boundary
71
that does not annoy the driver of an oncoming vehicle
7
and a pedestrian
70
on the right road edge as shown in FIG.
18
. The beam boundary
71
consists of a horizontal line portion
72
extending f
Foley & Lardner
Husar Stephen
Ichikoh Industries Ltd.
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